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Honestly, I didn’t mind dying. I was in my forties, of course this was bound to happen, but I didn’t want it to happen right after meeting my daughter and Valeria again. Sure, it didn’t seem like it now, but I had a chance. We would remarry if need be.“Son—”“Don’t fucking say a word now, Rodrigo!”“Anthony—”“Grandma, stay out of this!”“Fine, I will,” Mom raised her hands in the air. “But think about it. What good would killing your father do now?”“I’ll be satisfied, and finally Aaliyah can have her damn baby. Maybe she’ll be good at it.”“What baby? Aaliyah is pregnant?”“It’s not proven, Mom. She was just threatened when I suggested divorce.”“Divorce? I thought you two didn’t get married?”“She thinks we got married. Mom, how many times do I have to tell you? It was all an act. I couldn’t marry her because legally I was still Valeria’s husband.”“Well, I don’t care. Aaliyah says he doesn’t want her to keep it, so killing him would do us a favor—maybe she’ll change for this baby
R O D R I G OI gulped my drink before placing the other on the table, silently letting Valeria know she could have it if our conversation took a bad turn."I'm honestly offended," I said as I took a step closer, careful to leave enough space between us. "How could you think I could be fooled?""Rodrigo—""No. And in Chicago, I knew it was you. Of course, at first, I fell for it—how you changed your name to Valentina, almost like Valeria….” I paused, took a gulp of air.“I thought, she couldn't be stupid enough to keep the first letter of her real name, but well, I guess you knew we wouldn't suspect with it." I chuckled, admiring her intelligence. "Guess you knew what you were doing, huh?""Alright, let me save us some time," she said, her voice so confident I didn’t expect it. I thought now that she knew I knew, she would cower."Still so confident, I see," I said, and she rolled her eyes. "And sassy.""I won't deny that I'm Valeria.""Yeah, because I had a DNA test done, and there’s
I stood frozen, shocked at Rodrigo introducing Parker to Anthony as his little sister. Alright, this was beyond upsetting. Cracking my neck, I almost marched forward when someone caught my arm.“You can’t cause a scene now. That will mean he wins,” Mrs. Roberts murmured.I slowly turned to her, still feeling the pull of her grip. “You know?”She nodded. My stomach dropped. “He called me,” she said softly. “He had the DNA results of him and Parker, so it was hard to deny.”“But you’re still on my side, right? Rodrigo betrayed me. All those years I did nothing but live for him. I raised his son, and then when my sister returned, he just threw me away. You have to—”“Understand,” she finished. “I do understand, Val, but this won’t solve it.” Her gaze flicked toward Rodrigo, who was now leading them inside.“I don’t know what to do.”“Oh no, honey, you do know what to do. And yes, I’ll always support you.”“I can’t let him into my daughter's life. I can’t let the Wilsons know who I truly
I’d been silent, putting one and one together when Presley asked if I knew what this meant.“Of course I know what this means. My mother only got admitted after hearing I had disappeared, which means she cared about me,” I said, that was the only sense it made — why else would she get admitted around the same time I disappeared?“Oh my God, she’s been watching me from the shadows all that time.”“That’s our guess,” Presley said, and I quickly got a grip on myself as she almost took me in her arms, under the excuse of wanting to comfort me.“Do you know the hospital she’s at?”“Yes, but—”“I don’t care. I want to see her.”“Kentucky.”“Excuse me?”“She’s in a hospital in Kentucky.”“Oh my God.” I covered my mouth as that was a state away. “But why—”“My associates are working hard to get us there. Once we have an update, we’ll let you know.”“I need to see her.”“And you will. Seems this family is fishy, and we’re still trying to figure them out. So if I were you, I’d stay as far away
I took a deep breath, my nail trailing over my signature. Who knew? I thought I would marry Rodrigo, hate him for the rest of my life, only for me to fall for him—and for him to crush me.Oh no, let me correct that. It says here he was married to Valeria Wilson, and I was Valentina Sterling. Sure, he knew, but the world didn’t. And he wouldn’t tell anyone because Valentina isn’t Valeria. Valeria is smart. She thinks. She knows how the world works.“Thank you so much for this. Do you mind?” I handed him the file, asking him in a way that said put it back for me because I have to go.“It’s not a problem, ma’am.”“Thank you. Oh, and…” I almost opened the door when I remembered something. “The reception lady—what a body she has.”“I mean…” he awkwardly chuckled.“I know everything. Keep my secret and I’ll keep yours.” I winked. Oh yeah, you’ve got to be cunning in this world.“Of course.”“Good to know. Have a good one.” I finally opened the door and left without turning back.I fixed my
Inside, I walked straight to the receptionist, who greeted me with a kind smile. “Ms. Sterling, I've heard a lot about you,” she said as soon as I reached the desk.“Hi. Wow, nice hair.” I lied, purely to get her to like me more. She already seemed fond of me, and I was going to use that.“Oh my God, I should tell my mom. I can’t believe Ms. Sterling complimented my hair! I swear, if I wasn’t on the clock, I’d take a picture with you.”“Well, this place doesn’t have the best lighting for photos.” I glanced around as if I knew what I was talking about. “Why don’t we grab lunch sometime?”Her eyes widened. “Oh my—yes! Yes, I’ll have lunch with you, Ms. Sterling.”“It’s a date, then. So, tell me… how did you hear about me?”“You’re trending on TV—saving the governor’s fortune.”“Oh, that. I didn’t think it reached your courthouse.”“Are you kidding? Everyone’s talking about you. We’ve also heard about the cases you handled at Carlos’s firm. Everyone admires you, Ms. Sterling.”“Well, I’m